The Little Things: A Zootopia Fawnpup AU
by JudithWilde
Summary: News has been circling Zootopia for the past 2 weeks about the biological anomaly that is the fawn/pup. A baby was born from a Coyote and a Doe! Not everyone is accepting of this phenomenon so Wilde and Hopps have been assigned to watch over the interspecies family.
1. Chapter 1

Judy, on the way to work, got a message from Nick saying: If I were you I wouldn't come in today. This is your final warning. She rolled her eyes and opened the doors of the ZPD. At first glance everything looked normal and Judy wondered what Nick was talking about.  
While walking down the hall to Nick's desk, she did feel like something was off. "Nick! Are you okay?" Judy asked. His body was slumped over the desk and his forehead was rhythmically banging onto the wood. Judy rested her palm on his arm, worry scrunching her brows together.  
She lowered her voice "Nick?" "Wait for it" was the only response Nick gave before their coworkers, Francine and Eric, stopped behind them smiling. "I see you two didn't waste any time." Francine remarked trying to hold back laughter. Eric, on the other paw, was laughing so hard he had to use Francine for support. Clawhauser sped over, the quickest anyone had seen him ever move, and squealed an "O M Goodness!" He began to bounce on his toes. "You two are going to be soo cute with a litter of kits!" Clawhauser looked as if he'd explode with excitement. "Yeah" Eric's deep voice added. "You could name them after all of us in the ZPD and still have some left over!" That sent all three into a fit of laughter. Francine accidentally blew out of her trunk filling the entire room with sound. Chief Bogo slammed open the door to his office. "What the hell is going on out here?" He strode over with his famous scowl covering his face. "Just because it's a slow day doesn't mean that-" he paused when he saw Wilde and Hopps next to each other and the small crowd around them. Understanding the issue, Bogo's scowl turned into an amused smile. "Oh. I see" he spoke slowly. Judy stared at all of them as if they had three eyes. "Well I don't! Anyone mind explaining?"

Now Nick's head was up and alert. "I know you don't live under a rock, Carrots. They're all over the news and internet." "Who is?" Judy asked, exasperated. Finally, Chief Bogo explained. "A Coyote and a Doe have been in the news because they somehow created offspring. They had been keeping the pregnancy a secret for the obvious reasons until they no longer could. The scientists say that it's a part of our evolution and the odds of different species having full term offspring is 1 in 1000…." Chief Bogo continued but Judy was no longer listening. *Does this mean* she glanced up at Nick then looked away just as quickly. *No Judy. We cannot do this. What would it look like for the token bunny to get in a relationship with the first handsome guy the ZPD partnered her with?* Her thoughts were racing at a thousand miles per hour. Then the embarrassment washed over her as her mind replayed the remarks her coworkers had said. "What'd I tell you? You should've stayed home." Nick said quietly to her. The group disbanded as they all went to tell the rest of the ZPD about the "hilarious" moment. "Wanna get out of here?" Nick asked. "Bogo did say it was a slow day and I don't want to wait around for another harassment parade." Judy looked up at his familiar smirk and considered the prospect.

Texts from later at night time:

J:I know it's an invasion of

privacy but I want to know what it looks like

N:Yeah. You and the rest of zootopia

J: I saw that video of the

huge crowd following them to their car.

N:The curse of overnight stardom.

J:And they had to wait

months and months

knowing their little oopsie

was going to flip the world

upside down.

N: I think it was planned

J: Planned

N:Yeah, carrots: planned. Not everyone hates the

idea of having kids like you

J:I dont hate it...

N: we all know. Everyone

wanted you to settle

down with some bunny in the burrow and have

hundreds of kits

J:Arrgh stop saying what I

was going to say

N:Are you aware that not

everything has to be

about defying someone's

expectation of you?

J: Yeah yeah...wait. Do you

want to be a dad, Nick?

N: Am I against it? No.

J: Well I guess I learned

something new today

N: But you heard the news

say it was a1 in 1000

chance to have offspring.

N: That's a lot of... trying,

Carrots. And you know

what they say: Making the

baby is the best part

J: You do know that the 1 in

1000 part is only for

interspecies couples,

right?

N: Yes. What great detective

work you have, Hopps. All

I'm saying is I think that

Doe and Coyote we're

onto something ;)


	2. Chapter 2

N:Hey next time think you

can do something about

these coworkers of mine, Chief?

B: Pardon?

N: They haven't stopped

fuc...messing with us for

days. If I even glance at

Hopps they all say

something about "kits"

and "making my move"

B: Oh this is about the

interspecies family.

N: Wow. The ZPD's

investigative skills are

really hitting the mark this

week

B: Enough, Wilde. Its already

inappropriate enough

that you're texting instead

of walking to my office.

N: So I'm being

inappropriate? Not the

one's who are technically

sexually harassing me and Hopps?

B: I think we both know

who's the biggest culprit

of sexual harassment in

this unit, Officer Wilde.

N: ...

N:That's different. The Fluff and I have an unspoken

arrangement. but back to the point: I was

thinking that since the weeks paperwork is

already finished...we could have a few days off.

Until this blows over, of course

B: I have something better to

get you out of the office.

The interspecies couple

have been receiving

threats and have called us

for help. Im assigning you

and Officer Hopps to keep

watch and report any

suspicious activity.

N:You spelled "Sure, Nick.

Take as many off days as

you need and here's a

$300 bonus for your good

work" wrong.

B: Get Hopps and come to

my office so that you two

Can start.

The two watched as the small crowd left the property. The words Nick read, "Devil Children Not Allowed in Zootopia," "Mutated Mutt," and plenty of others on the signs, made his blood boil. He recognized some of the mammals holding the malicious writings and realized, once again, that regular mammals from everyday life could hold plenty of hatred. Then he saw the children. "Who brings their kid to something like this?" Hopps spoke under her breath so that only Nick could hear.

"They're probably using them as examples to push their agendas. And they say these are the bad parents." Nick responded, motioning towards the interspecies couple's home. "Do you have somewhere to be?" Nick almost growled the words out at the teenage antelope who stood unmoving on the front lawn.

"Yeah." The antelope's surprisingly overconfident tone made Hopps raise her eyebrows in disbelief. "I need to be right here to keep my city safe. You should probably be thanking us for protecting Zootopia instead of making us leave." Nick looked down at Judy with a strained smile that covered the murderous gaze coming from his green eyes.

"Stay calm" Judy said through closed teeth so the antelope couldn't hear. Nick took a deep breath and muttered curses under his breath. "You need to leave. This is private property," Judy spoke calmly. "You may think you're protecting the city but all you're doing is terrorizing an innocent family."

"Actually, Judy Hopps, you've got that mixed up. The family is the one terrorizing all of us." The antelope crossed his arms and smiled down at her as if he had won an argument. Nick took another deep breath. He knew that Judy had been a small celebrity in Zootopia since the nighthowler case but he didn't like hearing her name coming from the antelope's mouth.

"And how, exactly, is a two week old baby a threat to this city?" Judy tried to control her voice as she asked the question. The antelope paused and glanced over at the house. Nick leaned towards Judy.

"Watch as the young antelope finds himself lost in thought; it's unfamiliar territory." Judy made a sound of agreement.

"I'm not leaving. If you want to arrest me then do it." The antelope dramatically held his arms out. "Because I know it will be for a good cause. The news will cover it and I'll be a martyr. What the-" Judy didn't waste any time and managed to put the handcuffs on the antelope while he was still talking.

"Nice sign." Nick said in his usual sarcastic tone as they walked the adolescent towards the ZPD car. His sign had the words: "Mutts are Butts" printed in a bright yellow that didn't contrast well with the white construction paper. "It takes a really special mind to pull off all that creativity." He emphasized the word special which made the antelope give him an irritated stare.

Judy radioed in and then drove up the street for a few minutes when the antelope spoke up again. "I bet you both think you're soo open minded. Well if you were then you'd actually consider my words and see how unnatural those people are."

Nick put on a sympathetic voice. "Well, Todd, I'd like to see things from your point of view but I can't seem to get my head that far up your ass." Judy's laugh broke the tension and made Nick relax a bit.

"H-How do you know my name?" Todd's voice was stammering with his confusion. Nick gave a satisfied smile and waved the boy's wallet in the air for him to see.

"Todrick Mathison, Age 18. Oh your birthday just passed. I'd congratulate you, but I see you're not an organ donor and I have to draw a line there. I mean if you're dead then you're not using it anymore, right?" The antelope stayed silent and Nick looked back. "Do you have nothing to say of are you struggling to understand," Nick asked condescendingly. Judy pulled into the ZPD parking lot and hopped out of the car. They walked Todd towards the building, glad to turn the kid over to someone else.

"You should really stop talking like I'm some idiot. I graduated highschool and got into the most prestigious university in Zootopia. I'm not some hillbilly who doesn't know what he's talking about" Judy rolled her eyes.

"Well we're glad to see that you've overcome all those years of education to get where you are today." Nick stood, smiling smugly, next to the open doors of the ZPD and motioned for Todd to enter.


	3. Chapter 3

"So the guy says 'In ten years, I'm going to be your second husband' and the girl asks 'What happened to my first husband?' Guess what he said back." Judy was smiling in anticipation so that she could spring the punchline onto him. Nick leaned back in his chair and stretched.

" 'Nothing you can prove.' I already knew that one, Fluff."

Judy crossed her arms over her chest. "Of course you would know that. You probably use it on every Vixen you see."

Nick feigned offense, putting his hand dramatically over his heart. "That is insulting. Firstly: I'm much more witty." He gave a smirk. "And secondly: How do you know that pick-up line hasn't been used on me?"

Judy scoffed. "Really? By who?"

Nick put on a sad face and gazed out the window. "His name was Reinaldo. He was a secret prince from an exotic country who asked me to become his...other prince. I had to refuse in the end. We wanted different things in life." Nick turned to Judy with wide innocent eyes. "I think he only wanted me for my body." Judy stared at him and failed at suppressing her laughter.

"Where do you even come up with this stuff?" Nick chuckled too and enjoyed the tiny bursts of happiness that came from seeing Judy's smile.

"It's the plot of this Lifetime movie my mom would always watch when I was a kit. She really loved it because the heroine was-" Nick was interrupted by a tapping sound on the window. They looked and saw a stained greyish blue T-shirt. The mammal bent down and her large brown eyes and sharp snout came into view. Judy rolled down the window for the mother of the interspecies baby.

"H-Hi," Judy awkwardly greeted the woman who the two had only known through television screens.

"Hi, Judy. I just wanted to say thanks for getting the...protesters to stop coming here. I assumed that after a few days of no conflicts that you might be bored and maybe" She paused glancing at Nick's raised eyebrows. "thirsty. What I'm trying to say is, if you're interested, I have some lemonade in the kitchen."

Judy spoke first "Oh, no it's f-"

"Sure! Why not?" Nick interrupted. The Doe scrunched her eyebrows together.

"Well...okay then. Just follow me." She turned and started for her home.

"Nick!" Judy punched his arm.

"What'd I tell you about saying my name like that? I told you it gives me dirty thoughts." He smirked and that got him another punch in the arm.

"Ow! That one actually hurt, Carrots. I'm getting out of here before you bruise my delicate skin." With that, he lifted his chin and gracefully exited the car to join the Doe.

The house was light blue with white trimming and the door was a soft yellow. Inside was cluttered with boxes of diapers, toys, and baby clothes. The Doe explained that people had been sending gifts and letters to their home. Her voice, while light and cheery, held a certain roughness to it that couldn't be hidden. "Sorry about the mess. I've been exhausted and haven't had time to tidy up. I'm Aurora, by the way, but you probably already knew that seeing as how my fiancée and I are on every news channel. I mean, you'd think people could worry about their own lives instead of trying to peep into ours." Nick suddenly felt a slither of guilt from remembering how often he talked about the interspecies family when the news first came out. They followed the talkative Doe until she spun around in the kitchen to face the officers with her rushed words. "Not that it's bad to watch the news stories. I completely get it. I'm just blowing off some steam."

"Of course. Feel free to speak your mind" Judy said warmly. Aurora opened her fridge and poured the lemonades into two tall glasses.

"One for you and one for you." Aurora gave the glasses to Nick and Judy with a sleepy smile. Judy struggled a bit to drink it due to the glass being a bit too big for her paws.

"I'm Nick Wilde." Nick held out his paw and shook it with the Deer's.

"Its nice to meet you both. I'd ask Damien to come say hello but he's napping with the peanut. We try to get in sleep whenever we can." She giggled and then yawned. "Some advice for you both" the pretty Doe continued. "Don't become a parent until you're ready for sleep deprivation and just gross stuff in general. You do not want to know about cleaning baby poop out of fur."

Judy gave a long sigh. "Oh I know all about that. I basically helped raise a third of my siblings when I was in school. My parents only had four paws all together so I had to assist a lot."

Nick turned to her surprised. "I didn't know this, Carrots. I've never even held a baby." Nick laughed as the two women stared at him puzzled.

"Really? No cousins or anything?" asked the Doe. Nick hesitated and opened his mouth to say something when the unmistakable sound of a baby crying stopped the conversation. Aurora's head turned sharply towards the sound and her ears perked up. "Damien sleeps through everything so I better get Sammy. Hopefully duty does not call." She left the room and when her steps became quieter,

Nick spoke up, raising an eyebrow at his partner. "Well she's a real chatterbox."

"Don't say that! I think she's really brave and strong." Nick leaned on the counter behind him.

"They seem to be doing pretty well, though, considering what's been happening." Nick downed his lemonade and placed it into the already filled sink. The crying from the other room quieted and the two let out a breath. "Ok I've got one," he started. Judy stopped drinking her lemonade.

"What?"

"A pick-up line. So the girl asks the guy 'Do you sleep on your stomach?' He says 'No." What does the girl say?"

After a brief pause, Judy said "I don't know. Just tell me."

"She says 'Then can I?'"

"Hmm. It's okay for something you just made up." Judy laughed and moved to put her cup on the counter.

"Oh. And just so you know, Carrots" Judy raised an eyebrow probably expecting a less than appropriate comment.

"I don't sleep on my stomach either." This time Nick was expecting the punch and caught her paw pulling her closer. Judy narrowed her eyes at him trying to hold back her smile, but failing in the end.

"Oh!" The partners literally jumped away from their more-than-friendly proximity to each other. "Sorry if I'm, uh, interrupting.." Aurora was standing in the doorway holding her baby with a knowing smile. "I was just feeding him in the family room. I wanted to show you two something." Hopps and Wilde followed her silently to the family room.


	4. Daisy LetterAutobiography

Hello,

I don't know if you'll ever read this since I'm sure you get your share of good and bad mail already. This will probably get lost in the masses of letters but I'm writing this anyway. I have to tell somebody. I need to.

My name is Eve and this is my third attempt at writing this damned letter. I know, I know: Strange way of starting a letter but I've decided to just tell you my honest story without a filter. Two years ago I had a calf whose father was a different species. Surprised? Thought you'd be. Not many know of this since the father and I decided to keep it a secret.

We had one of those loves that thrived on adventure and secrecy. I was a librarian and he was a "songwriter" that was unemployed on the side. We did silly immature things that seemed so cool and daring to my boring life. Things that always ended with us running fast, while holding paws, away from some shop owner or security guard we had messed with. The thrill of almost being caught, and knowing that I was doing what my conservative parents could never imagine, was an addictive rush. He and I were exciting and electric and I'm smiling just thinking about that summer. All the stories and laughs…

Anyway(grossness alert), one day I had killer cramps and started bleeding. I thought it was my period that was verry late(must have been early days since there wasn't a worrisome amount of blood). What I didn't realize back then was that I must have miscarried so I just kept on with my newly exciting lifestyle. I was a kid so I guess that's my only excuse for not realizing. We really could have really used you and your partner as a reference since, soon after, we learned that mammals of different species could reproduce.

Apparently this guy could get me pregnant from across the street because a few months later I was peeing on a stick. His response to the news was a stupified "Oh." Classic, right? Needless to say, we were scared out of our minds and never shared the information with anyone. My wardrobe changed to baggy layered shirts and stretchy pants and he got an actual job. My roommate minded her buisness and when the time came I had the baby in my bedroom. We were too afraid to go to a hospital

I don't know why he never asked me if I was unfaithful. It would have been the logical response to the impossible predicament we were in. He immediately assumed he was the father and.. I guess thats just how we were. I trusted him with my life and the pregnancy made our connection grow deeper. I like to think we were strong back then.

We named her Daisy and she was so beautiful. She squrimed and cried and curled up in my arms. Her father had his arms around us both as we watched her tiny movements and all the fears I had of being a mother were washed away.

She was weak though so she didn't stay with us for more than a few hours. The short time we had with her was a bliss that I won't ever forget. I'd never cried so much in my life as I had that day. First there were tears of pain, then tears of laughter, joy, and love. Next came tears of uncertainty, fear, and confusion. Lastly, tears of despair. We were both in denial at first, but after her little chest hadn't moved in twenty minutes, we knew. Somehow my mind held on to the idea that if I showed her how much I loved her that she'd come back. So I held her tight against me so that she could feel my heartbeat and I whispered little promises. The feeling of emptiness was overwhelming after I let her father take her out of the room. I will always wonder if she'd still be alive had we gone to the hospital.

We ended up taking a cab to the rainforest district. We were a sorry sight: A crying couple holding a basket with a soft blanket overtop. There, at 3am, at a lesser known river, we let her drift off.

I haven't written his name because it still hurts to and its just easier so that no one can track this back to me. We tried to stay strong together but, as time passed, we only reminded eachother of Daisy. Not that we could forget her, but being together wasn't helping us heal. So we broke. Being around my family was hard. I went for my dad's birthday and had to put on a fake smile so that they wouldn't know. I remember my mom asking if I had found a boyfriend yet and I felt like I had been kicked in the gut. They still don't know to this day.

People say that time heals and I guess thats true. Most of the time, when I think of her, the memories are good now. The cute way her nose twitched or her father talking to my tummy before she was born. When I saw the news of an interspecies baby I instantly thought someone found out about Daisy but then I saw the picture of you two and realized that I wasn't some biological anomaly. Knowing that your pup is alive and healthy gives me hope. Im sure you'll be seeing brave interspecies couples and families popping up in Zootopia now that you've started on the pathway that I was too afraid to walk. I didn't just send this to you because I needed closure. What I want you to take from this is a sense of community. You two are not alone. You weren't the only ones to go through this. And you're stronger than I was. That alone tells me that you'll make amazing parents to your pup. Don't take any moment for granted.

Your Family,

Eve


	5. Chapter 4

"So I know you saw all the protests and the crude things people said on the news." Aurora led them into the cozy, dandelion-yellow room. Nick noticed a framed professional-looking picture of the pup in some silky blanket. "But most are some really supportive mammals who send letters like the ones here." She pointed at a large cardboard box beside the grey sofa. It had a picture of a fawn with the words "newborn playset" on the side.

"You wanted to show us a playset?" Judy asked.

Aurora shook her head. "Well there was a playset but we're trying to reuse some of the bigger boxes. This one has letters of encouragement and support in it." She adjusted the newborn so she could have one arm free and pointed at the box. Judy jumped up and peered into the box that stood as high as her ears.

"That.. Makes me feel a lot better about the state of Zootopia," Judy said, letting out a relieved sigh. Nick felt a warm wave of relief as well. Constantly being around ignorance and hatred had made him start to lose the hope he had accumulated after joining the ZPD. The Doe nodded and fished out a light blue envelope. Nick noted the way she carefully removed the paper inside.

" I wasn't going to show this to you guys but something made me think you might need it one day. It's a woman who told us about her experiences. It's really more of an autobiography but, it's one of the letters that specifically resonated with me and Damien.. because we had another pup." Aurora smiled sadly as she handed the letter to Nick. The two watched her with confused expressions until they understood her meaning.

[[SEE DAISY LETTER]]

Nick unfolded the paper and leaned on the sofa so that Judy could read it too. Aurora played quietly with her son, her back to them, as they read. Their expressions saddened as they progressed down the letter and, when they finished, Nick let out a long breath. He looked down to Judy who was leaning on him just slightly. She appeared to be deep in thought.

"We're sorry about… your loss, we didn't know." Judy spoke cautiously in a soft tone.

Aurora shook her head "Don't worry about that. I like to think it was meant to be this way. I'm a hot mess with just one kid. Could you imagine the chaos of two?" The pup gave a hiccup as if in agreement. Aurora and Judy giggled while Nick kept silent. He was stuck on what she had said. He found it strange that she had lost a child and was giggling about it only two weeks later. Aurora's gaze turned from the baby towards Nick, almost seeing the thought in his mind.

"But..." Nick began, but was stopped by Aurora putting her hand up and shaking her head once.

"Let's move to something that can be changed," Aurora said as she moved towards him. "Non-baby holders are not allowed in this house. So if you plan on staying another second you can stick your arms out right now." Nick, feeling uneasy towards the idea, stood frozen and looked to Judy for help. Judy crossed her arms with an amused smile.

"Well what are you waiting for, Slick Nick? Are you afraid of a two week old baby?" She was enjoying this, he realized. He narrowed his eyes at Judy and made a mental note to mess with The Fluff after they left.

Nick awkwardly held his paws out and his eyes widened as the baby was placed into his arms. Aurora helped him adjust to the correct position. "Here, just support the head. Yep. Just like that. Hey, you're a natural!" Her encouragement made the Fox give a soft smile. Nick adjusted Sammy a bit more and Judy spoke up.

"Nick! Support the head!" Nick, finding a comfortable position, put on an offended expression.

"I don't know if you heard, Carrots, but I'm a natural." He gave a Hrmph sound and turned his attention back to the pup. Judy grinned shaking her head at him.

"Carrots? Is that your nickname, Judy?" Aurora questioned.

Nick answered for Judy. "It's something I call her. She does have a nickname though. It's Jude the-"

"Alright! We don't need to talk about this right now!" Judy interrupted. She gave Nick a look that promised revenge later. Nick responded with a satisfied smirk.

Aurora went to sit on the couch behind them, letting Judy and Nick have time with Sammy. The two studied Sammy with great fascination. The squirming pup shared more traits with his Coyote side but he had his mother's eyes, ears, and snout. Nick looked down at the cute, big eyed, little honey-brown furball staring up at him and was at a loss for words. Judy moved closer and trailed her fingers along the pup's paw feeling the unbelievable softness of his fur. The pup automatically grasped at one of her fingers and squeezed causing Judy's ears to drop at the moving sight. Nick gently shifted his weight from side to side so that he could rock the wriggling pup and saw that Judy was watching him with a thoughtful look. Her eyes were unfocused as if she were imagining some scenario or idea, causing Nick to wonder what was going on in her head. It made him want to squirm as much as Sammy, but he kept his nervous energy under wraps. Nick lifted an eyebrow, daring her to say something which caused her to look down at Sammy again. Nick chuckled at Judy's reddening cheeks and the squirming pup finally relaxed, seeming to snuggle further into Nick's arms. The simple act made warmth spread through Nick's chest.

"Oh he's adorable!" Judy cooed, looking back at Aurora who was snoring quietly on the sofa. Judy lowered her voice . "Oh. I guess she was serious about getting sleep whenever she could."

The peaceful atmosphere dispersed when suddenly a booming voice filled the room. "What are you doing in my house?" The voice questioned, waking Aurora in the process. All three stared at the large, intimidating Coyote and Sammy, who had been startled, began to cry.


	6. Chapter 5

Aurora shot up and walked towards her fiancée with a look of irritation. She turned towards the stunned officers while pulling Damien out of the room. "Excuse us for a moment."

"Oh. Sure," Judy stammered over the cries of the baby. Nick was bouncing on his toes in an attempt to quiet Sammy. He'd enjoyed the pup until this moment but continued trying to sooth him. Judy worriedly stared up at Nick and then towards the hallway outside of the room. Nick heard hushed whispers that he couldn't make out over Sammy's drawn-out whines. Sammy began to quiet down and, Nick began plotting his, and The Fluff's, escape.

Damien's voice rose to audible levels, though it was obvious that he wanted to yell his restrained words. "So you thought it'd be okay to bring that kind of mammal, here!?" Judy glanced up at Nick again with confusion showing in her eyes. Nick realized that Damien was saying this because he was a Fox and it felt like a slap in the face. Nick wanted to scold himself for believing that a uniform and badge would change what mammals thought about Foxes. His expression showed no sign of his the painful realization and he continued on as if he hadn't heard a thing. Aurora shushed Damien but his voice just grew louder. "If you wanted company you could have found anyone else!" Sammy went off again and his mother came back to calm him with Damien following behind.

"I'm sorry," Aurora said, quickly as Nick placed the pup in Aurora's arms. Damien stood in front to his fiancée, glowering at the officers. His stance was protective as if he expected them to hurt him or his family.

"Our Chief Officer is expecting us soon so we should probably go," Judy spoke once Sammy quieted.

"You probably should." Nick's body tensed when he heard the venomous tone aimed at his partner and he focused on steadying his breathing. Damien's words had been controlled, but his clenched paws and glaring eyes hinted at what he was holding back. _He's been through a lot recently._ Nick kept repeating the words in his head so not to do something stupid.

Aurora stepped out from behind the Coyote with with watery eyes, speaking in a hushed voice. "Damien, please."

When he heard her shaking words, Damien's attention turned towards Aurora and the pup, a look of concern in his eyes. His body relaxed and his jaw unclenched before he turned back to Nick and Judy. The two had been slowly inching towards the hallway only to stop once the Coyote focused on them again. "Just.. Please. Leave." His narrowed eyes met Nick's, and on the last word a heavy tension fell between them.

One corner of Nick's mouth lifted and he tilted his head. "Well would you look at that, Hopps!? He said please." Nick continued in his patronizing tone, "Maybe he does know some manners after all!" Nick didn't get to see the reactions to his statements since The Fluff found it necessary to rush him out of the house just as he was finishing.

Judy continued pushing him quickly down the walkway until they reached the sidewalk. "Okay! Okay, I'm going." Nick let her launch him forward, smiling the whole way. She tapped her foot, frowning up at Nick in the way that always made him slightly nervous. "Well howl about that," Judy ignored Nick's joke and moved towards the police car. Nick lifted his arms in a _What did I do?_ gesture, and then joined his partner in the car.

Judy pressed her forehead on the steering wheel. "That wasn't funny."

"The objective of a pun, Carrots, is to be corny- not witty" He knew that she hadn't been referring to the pun but the thought of the Coyote made him itch to go back inside the house and force some knowledge into the guy's brain.

She slowly lifted her head and rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Nick. You didn't have to tease him."

"Well if I hadn't then I probably would have done something to get myself fired, Sweetheart. Already on strike four with Bogo cause of that ice-cream incident." Judy seemed to consider his words as she started the car. They drove in silence to the ZPD. Nick tried not to think about the altercation, but the scene kept replaying in his head.

"Do you know why I asked for you two to come here?" The angry Buffalo enunciated every syllable of his question. Nick and Judy stood in the front of Chief Bogo's desk shifting uncomfortably in silence until Nick spoke up.

"We would if you told us, Chief." He used a cheerful tone to cover up his annoyance.

Chief Bogo slammed his paws on the desk and leaned forward to see the partners. "The interspecies family has insisted that we keep away from their property. Any idea on how this could have happened?" Judy and Nick shared a glance and then stared back at Bogo. Judy began to speak but Bogo cut her off with a raised hand. He lowered his voice, "Since you two have been out, a stack of paperwork has built up in your office. I was considering letting your coworkers handle it but I'm sure you two can get it all done by tomorrow."

"TOMORROW?!" The two yelled the word in unison.

Bogo relaxed in his chair seeming satisfied with their response. "The coffee machine is in the break room. Feel free to use it. Don't let the door catch your tail on the way out."

It was business as usual in the ZPD that night. The chilly midnight air blew through the lobby every time a different mammals' shift was over. Judy and Nick had been doing paperwork and filing reports for hours and had only made a small dent in the pile. Nick hadn't been much help since his mind was still stuck at the interspecies couple's house. He couldn't shake the words out of his head: _You thought it'd be okay to bring that kind of mammal here!? That kind. That kind. That kind._ Nick tapped his pen on the wooden desk as the thoughts grew louder and louder. Judy looked up from the other end of their desk but didn't say anything, probably knowing what the issue was. Nick's emerald eyes met hers and he sighed, putting his pen down. With a small smirk he said, "It's past midnight. Technically it's tomorrow. Whatd'ya say we just stop and admit our failure to Buffalo Butt in the morning?"

Judy rolled her eyes, smiling. "You know we can't do that, Nick." The tedious work had not been helping with Nick's inner turmoil and his shoulders sagged as his heavy lidded eyes glanced at the stack of manila envelopes. "I think we could take a small break though." Judy stretched out her arms and yawned loudly.

"Good idea, Fluff." Nick pushed the papers to the opposite end of the desk and then slumped back in his chair.

"What's wrong? Are you still thinking about earlier?"

"No," he grumbled. _Criminal. Thief. Con. Thug._ All the labels he'd been given throughout his life rushed through his head. "Yes," he admitted. "After all that time we spent watching their house.." His voice trailed off as he replayed the events in his head for the millionth time.

Judy exhaled audibly. "Yeah, I know"

"I almost wish we let the protesters stay all of those days if that's the thanks I would get."

"I don't think it was about you, Nick. Maybe it was something else," Judy reasoned.

Nick closed his eyes tightly so not to snap at her. "I've been going through this my whole life, Judy. I know what this looks like."

Judy's brows furrowed. "But he seemed too angry for it to _just_ be about-"

"Yeah, angry that a Fox was in his house."

"But he's a predator too. That doesn't make sense." The sound of the janitor going into the bathrooms echoed towards their office. Nick lowered his voice and spoke quickly, remembering that they weren't the only ones in the building.

"Do you really think all predators are treated the same? While I get labeled the shifty criminal, he's labeled as cool and athletic. Sure he might get followed in an expensive store as well but I doubt anyone assumes he's a liar just from his appearance." Nick thought of the words Chief Bogo said when they had first met in the Rainforest District. _"_ _You want me to believe a fox?"_ Nick leaned forward, resting his chin on a paw and waited for Judy to respond with her optimistic point of view.

"You're right." Judy smiled sadly. Nick had to blink a few times before he understood. He was so used to mammals disagreeing with him when it came to social issues. So used to being dismissed and doubted that he had already planned out his responses to her possible arguments. _That's my girl_. He hid a smile.

"Wow. So no 'Not everybody sees it that way, Nick' or 'You should just prove them wrong.' This is new." Nick raised the pitch of his voice to a falsetto when he imitated some to the usual phrases Judy used.

Judy playfully punched his shoulder. "I don't sound like that!"

Nick imitated her again. "What, like this?" He tried to make his voice as girly as possible to get even more of a rise out of her.

"If I sound like that," Judy adjusted her voice to an astoundingly low tone. "Then you sound like this."

Judy smiled when Nick's mouth dropped open. "Okay, now that was creepy. You actually sounded like a guy."

"What do you mean, Nick?" Judy kept her low pitch and grinned even more when Nick stared at her, wide-eyed and unbelieving. Judy opened her mouth to continue her provocations, but Nick stopped her, covering her mouth with his paw.

He shook his head. "Nope. I'm not hearing that voice in my nightmares tonight." Nick moved his paw away and cracked a smile at Judy who was holding her belly with laughter. "Is this why your parents call you Jude the Dude?"

Judy's brows shot up and she looked around. The ZPD was mostly uninhabited and the only mammal nearby was Hank, the janitor. Nick, knowing that she hated the nickname, smirked at her moment of distress. She pounced on him. "I'm going to kill you!" Nick only had a millisecond before the angered bunny had knocked him out his chair and onto the floor. The chair clattered loudly beside him and suddenly he was on his stomach with his arm bent awkwardly behind his back.

"Holy shit, Carrots! Do you take steroids with your coffee every morning?" Nick squirmed but Judy wouldn't let up.

"Take it back, Wilde," she growled. Nick looked up to see that she was trying not to laugh and he relaxed. When he felt Judy's grip loosen, he took his opportunity, and spun over her, holding her wrists on either side. Judy gasped in surprise at the smug Fox above her. "I was just about to let go of you! Not fair!"

Nick tensed his muscles expecting a kick to the stomach, or if she was feeling dirty, a swift kick to his lower regions. The hit never came, though and, instead he smelled something unfamiliar and sweet come off of Judy. It smelled amazing and Nick, without thinking, lowered his nose to the slope where her neck met her shoulder. He froze. This was usually the part where someone would randomly show up and interrupt... _interrupt what? Was there something to interrupt?_ Meeting her eyes again, Nick's smug smile faltered as the reality of what was happening came into view.Judy squirmed a bit under his grip almost like she was trying to get free, but not trying very hard. She scrunched her nose and kind of squinted as if she was angry, though a hint of amusement shone brightly in her eyes. _Any second now,_ Nick thought, waiting for one of their coworkers to run up wondering what all the noise had been. He felt a strong urge to crack a joke and laugh it all off, but his mind was blank.

Judy laughed nervously. "Nick, what are we doing?"

In his head, Nick wriggled his eyebrows and smirked down at her saying, _"_ _Whatever we want, Carrots"_ but what came out was a weak, "Uhm..whatever you want." Nick squeezed his eyes shut as Judy snorted at his flustered reply. Nick opened his mouth to say something, but his thoughts were all jumbled, making him decide against it. He released her wrists and sat back on his feet, mentally scolding himself.

Between her laughs she spoke. "So." Judy began, imitating Nick's usual smirk. "It seems that I, the small lowly Bunny, have left the big, mean predator tongue tied." Judy threw her arms out to add to the dramatics. "Nick Wilde, The Fox who always has something to say, left speechless," she announced to the room, looking rather pleased with herself. Nick had to chuckle a little too at her theatrics. The Fluff was getting good at this.

"Alright, alright. When do I get to be the snarky one, again?" It was the best comeback he could think of at the moment. Judy sobered and he saw a flash of something in her expression before she covered it with an amused smile. _Disappointment?_

"We should probably get back to work."

Nick looked over at the tower of work and groaned. "I swear that stack is taller than it was ten minutes ago."

Judy didn't look very eager to take on the pile either. "Midnight snack break!" She hopped up and skipped away towards the break room.

There they sat at a round table for mammals their size, drinking coffee, chatting about nothing in particular when Judy's ears perked up. "So how did you like holding a little one for the first time?"

"It was..nice." A corner of his mouth lifted as he remembered holding Sammy. "Until he started wailing.  
Think he almost broke my eardrums."

Judy crossed her arms and leaned back. "Most of my life has been filled with the sounds of whiny kits so it was nothing new for me." Nick was still surprised that Judy had helped raise so many of her brothers and sisters. He had known she had had many siblings but the reality of it never occurred to him. "I felt bad about searching around online for pictures of him." It took Nick a moment to realize that she was talking about Sammy.

"You just wanted to know what he looked like. I mean it's not every day that.. a mammal like that is born."

Judy studied Nick for a moment. "You know you can say it, right? You can call Sammy interspecies. It's not some slur." Saying the word felt strange so he had always avoided it. Nick just gave a grunt of acknowledgement and sipped on his steaming coffee.

Judy spoke up again in response to Nick's silence. "Do you think they were the only ones besides the couple in the letter?"

Nick thought. "Probably not. They were just the only ones brave enough to let the secret out."

Judy spoke quickly. "Yeah! I mean it's not _so_ crazy to think, with over 10 million mammals in this city, that _some_ of the couples would be different species. Especially now since it's on every TV screen across the world."

Through her ramblings, he found a way to mess with her head. "It'll probably make some mammals try for themselves. Maybe someone we know will be a part of the next big couple." Nick made sure to smirk at her so that she would question what he was implying.

Judy narrowed her eyes and Nick prepared for her to punch him, but instead she grinned and retorted with a carefree shrug. "Yeah, who knows? Maybe the next couple will be here in the ZPD." _here in the ZPD_ Nick froze and tried not to choke on the coffee he was in the process of swallowing.

"Now I see why you do that so much. It's so fun." Judy laughed.

"Suddenly, the pile of work seems more appealing than talking to Nick 2.0"

"Now you know how I feel!"

The partners walked back to the cubicle smiling the whole way.

"WILDE! HOPPS! WAKE UP!" The blinding morning light was all Nick saw until Buffalo Butt's scowling expression came into focus. They had finally finished the stack of work when the morning birds began chirping and were about twenty minutes into sleep.

Judy lifted her head from the desk and squinted up at Bogo in confusion. "What's going on?" Her words were husky and slow paced from fatigue.

"We need both of you up now!"

"We got your damn paperwork done. What the hell are you yelling about?" Nick wasn't sure if it was because he was sleep deprived or because he got a kick out of messing with Bogo, but the less-than-respectful words were out before he could stop them. Judy's brows flew up and she gave Nick a warning glance.

Instead of exploding, as Nick expected, Bogo took a breath and controlled his voice. "Just wash your faces at the toilets and then go into the debriefing room." He needed them for something. Something very important, Nick realized, as he heard the almost pleading tone of Bogo's words. He and Judy shared a look of curiosity and uneasiness.

After finishing in the bathroom, Nick tried to push his exhaustion out by lightly slapping at his cheeks a few times. Judy was already in the debriefing room by the time he walked in, and Bogo motioned for him to sit at their chair. They were the only ones in the room, and Nick wondered why Bogo hadn't just called them to his office. "Alright. In order for this to work I will need your full cooperation." Judy's head nodded immediately but Nick sat still, feeling the first traces of suspicion. "Tell me everything that happened at the interspecies family's home yesterday." Nick's curiosity peaked. _Did something bad happen?_

Judy began immediately. "Well, Sir, the mother invited us into the house so that she could thank us and-"

Bogo cut her off, "Did you see anything out of the ordinary inside the home?"

Judy looked up at Nick but he was studying Bogo, trying to find any hidden meanings behind his words. "Uhm.. Well there were a lot of boxes. Aurora told us that mammals had been sending gifts and letters to their house ever since the news came out."

Bogo narrowed his questioning eyes. "And what else?"

"What, is this some interrogation? Can we get to the point?" Bogo turned to glare at Nick. "Sir." Nick added, trying to pull back his cranky attitude.

Judy explained all of the events at the house leading up to Damien kicking them out. "Chief? Could you please explain to us what happened?"

Chief Bogo sighed. "In 20 minutes we are going to have a meeting with the Department where you two will inform everyone about the crimes of the interspecies family."

Nick shook his head. "Crimes? There wasn't any crime committed and you know that. We've been watching their house for weeks and reporting back to you."

"What is this all about?" Judy asked.

After a long silence, Bogo spoke. "The interspecies couple was arrested an hour ago"


	7. Chapter 6

After a long silence, Bogo spoke. "The interspecies couple was arrested an hour ago"

"What! Why?" Judy's outburst filled the mostly empty room and her stare was locked onto Bogo in a confused horror.

"They were a threat to our national security."

 _Bullshit_ "Bullshit." Nick shook his head, wondering what universe he had been transported to.

Bogo sighed at Nick's offensive term concerning the Bull population. "Wilde, I need your cooperation."

"My cooperation? Did you even try? I could've pulled something better out of my ass then some excuse about 'National Security.' Just tell us the truth." Judy must have given up on chiding him because she sat quietly, seeming to be deep in her own thoughts.

Bogo tapped the tip of his hoof onto the table. "I don't know what you're talking about. If you want to keep your position here I suggest you watch your tongue, Wilde." The mention of his job made him shut his muzzle.

Nick felt a sliver of doubt and he began searching through the previous weeks for details he could have missed. Of course he couldn't know for sure if Bogo's statement had some truth to it, but it seemed impossible for the arrest to be completely just.

Judy broke the silence with a firm voice "We aren't doing anything until you tell us what's really happening."

The fast paced thumping sound of her foot tapping brought a small smile to Nick's lips. Bogo's always serious gaze darted between the two until he gave a sharp nod. "Alright." He weighed his words before speaking. "There is a section of our government that, well, likes to clean up messes. This arrest was one of their ways of doing just that."

Nick went over the words again in his head to find a hidden meaning. "Is this supposed to make sense, Chief?"

This was the first time Nick had seen Bogo uncomfortable and, while the idea of it seemed delightful, actually experiencing it was unnerving. Bogo's hooves seemed to be having a wrestling match on the table as he spoke. "We must do what they say. This happened before. Twelve years ago we were ordered to confiscate and destroy all the street recordings of an event that ended in a death. We had to rule it as a suicide."

"What do you mean 'you had to'?" Judy asked.

"I mean that, if we didn't follow orders, they would have found other mammals who would. I mean that they can replace us, ruin our reputation, or worse: defund us. That's why you two have to exaggerate"

"You mean lie," Nick retorted. He was only just starting to understand the overpowering weight of the occurrences from the morning and what these arrests meant for the future of Zootopia.

"Our paws are tied, Officer Wilde. Our world isn't a utopia where every problem can be solved. This is an example of that."

"Yeah, I know..." Old Nick wouldn't have blinked an eye at this information since old Nick always expected the worst in mammals. Now, once again, he let himself fall into the trap of hope. Ever since he had met Judy, the trap became easier to fall into and harder to claw out of. Sometimes all it took was one phrase or a flicker of the lashes and he was dreaming, forgetting about the real and unforgivable world. It always felt like bliss until reality caught up with him. Then it was like he was a kit again, opening up to a world of possibilities then being knocked down by disappointment and betrayal that life would repeatedly give until he remembered to put his walls of protection up once again. It was a terrible, but addictive cycle this Bunny had put him into.

"Nick!" Judy's voice dispersed his thoughts and her violet eyes came into focus. "Are you even listening?" His ears popped up from their drooped position to show his alertness.

Judy continued, "I was saying that we have to do something. We can't just let them do whatever they want. Don't you agree?" Her eyes searched his expectantly but Nick could only agree with the concept and not the actions. She couldn't actually believe they could just fix the problem, right? If Nick knew anything, he knew about power. It was one thing to stop corruption on a local level but, with some mysterious government group that could bend laws as they pleased, it wasn't logical.

Bogo interjected, turning the discussion back to his points. "Remember that police department in the news that had been caught permitting the sale of illegal drugs? They were framed for not following orders and for trying to do what you're suggesting, Hopps. Those were good mammals whose reputations and records were smeared for doing the right thing. Now their faces have been all over the news and they are judged everywhere, even in their prison cells. That's what I mean by we had to." Bogo looked ready to attack with his clenched teeth and tense body. It made Nick wonder if Bogo had known one of the framed officers for such a response to occur.

Nick fought the urge to squirm at Bogo's show of emotion. "Okay, Okay. All you had to say was please, Chief." Judy looked ready to object but Nick stopped her with a look and a featherlight touch on her arm. _This isn't our war to fight._ He tried to communicate the thought through his gaze and it seemed to work when Judy gave a conceding nod.

"We saw various instances of suspicious activity outside and within the household," Nick continued with the same retellings had given twice already that day. No concrete facts and only suspicions to plant into the heads of the public. Judy was mostly silent, only answering with a short yes or no when a question was directed to her. Bogo signalled for them to finish up.

"Can you give us information on the appearance of the interspecies mammal?" asked a middle aged Pig. The question caught him off guard but it was easy enough to answer.

"Oh. He was very small and," he tried to think of a simple description that would shut them up. "His features reflected his father's side more than his mother's."

This caused a murmur along with the scuffing sound of pencils on paper. The Pig piped up again. "Does that mean there's a chance that the pup could be fully Coyote and that the family lied?"

Nick's "no," was lost in the rush of questions that the assumption had created. He was pushed to the side as Bogo announced that the press conference was over.

Once they were all out of sight from the journalists, Judy stomped forward, ahead of Nick, leaving him in the aisle with Bogo. "Make sure she doesn't do something stupid that would jeopardize the whole department. I can't guarantee yours of her safety if some leak of information traces back to you. I'll be in my office." With that, Bogo strode past Nick in a slight rush.

It took Nick twenty minutes of searching until he found her in the second floor stairwell that no mammals used due to the ease of an elevator. "Whachya doing, Carrots? More training?" She smiled sadly at his reference to the exercises she made him do to prepare him for his police training a year earlier. He would get sore legs from simply remembering the stair work outs. He sat down next to her on the stair, trying to find the right words to say. "Want to talk about it?" He proposed, lightly bumping into her with his arm.

"No."

"Alright," Nick said. He pretended to accidentally brush his leg against hers.

"It's just that I can't believe that there's nothing we can do. I can't just sit here and let this happen!" Judy shot up to pace back and forth in front of him. She never knew when to give up and he could see the wheels turning in her head already.

"Carrots, I don't usually listen to Buffalo Butt but even I'm inclined to in this case. I don't think he warned us just to protect the department."

"So we'll be careful."

"How can we be careful with a group that can make a murder become a suicide and bend the law whenever they want?"

Judy's ears fell and she stopped pacing. "But Nick." Her pleading eyes changed to narrowed ones. "Fine. But I need some information. If I don't get something I'll go crazy. We'd still be following orders either way." Didn't she realize the danger that they could be put into for investigating? No way was he letting his partner risk her safety.

Still, Nick couldn't ignore her determined gaze and he knew that trying to stop her would not end well for him. Sly Bunny. He bent forward to her eye level, lifting a corner of his mouth. "I just don't want to see my girl getting hurt."

"I-" Her brows were raised and a tinge of redness shone on her cheeks. He had caught her off guard and knowing that made his smirk grow wider. She crossed her arms and thumped her foot, the surprise wearing off. "I'm not yours." Judy averted her sight and shifted away. "And you don't need to protect me." She jabbed her finger towards his still smiling face to affirm her point.

Nick could see that she was being serious and tried not to think about the other part of her statement. He had to admit that, even in her anger, the reaction was pretty funny to watch. Her boldness reminded him of the first day they had met. Looking back to that day and her pointing motions amused him, causing Nick to chuckle. Judy's bewildered expression made him laugh harder and, soon enough, a she was smiling and shaking her head at him.

"You're crazy."

"You say that like its a bad thing." He winked. "Come here." He motioned for her to move closer. When she stayed in place, Nick reached out to pull her in but she hopped away out of his grasp. She had a playful smile that challenged him to catch her. _That's how she wants to play it?_ __

For the next few minutes a grinning Fox chased a squealing Rabbit up and down a stairwell, both forgetting that they were fully grown adults. It probably wasn't the smartest idea, because soon Nick was on the floor holding his ankle. "I've been defeated. My honor is gone."

Judy looked back at him, still bouncing from the burst of energy. "Oh no, can you stand on it?" She went over and helped him up.

After shifting his weight and twisting the foot around he decided that it just felt uncomfortable with a slight pain if he moved in a certain way. "I always thought my first time getting injured on the job would be more flashy than this. I won't need to go to the hospital or anything. I'm fine."

"I wish I could've filmed that." Judy laughed for a few seconds until she slapped her paw to her mouth. "Nick! I know what we can do. The hospital. I didn't even think of that!"

She was literally hopping now and Nick put his paws on her shoulders to slow her movements. "Whoa, slow down, Fluff. We're doing what?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow. Be ready by noon!" And with that, she zoomed out of the stairwell.

"Well at least I cheered her up," he said. Bogo was giving them the next few days off and he already knew The Fluff would be dragging him all over town until she was satisfied or gave up. He wasn't sure which would come first.


	8. Chapter 7

It was a calm autumn night and Nick was dreaming of mean, giant blueberries chasing him. Their strange blueberry feet fell onto the pavement in quick succession. They were gaining on him! Tap, tap, tap. Their steps fell faster and harder as Nick looked back to see a wide, blue face grinning right behind him. "Aghh!" He sat up in his bed, scared out of his sleep. TAP, TAP. There was the sound again and he wondered if he was still dreaming. He had heard of lucid dreaming before but he never knew it could feel so real. He stretched his arms out in front of himself and commanded his lamp to turn on with his thoughts. The light of his Z-Phone lit the room in a hazy, blue glow, showing some notification. Not exactly what he had wanted to turn on but it was a start.

The tapping started again and Nick's ears finally registered that the sound was coming from his door. "Nick, come on. Wake up." Judy's voice traveled through the door, shaking the foggy tiredness out of his head.

"Nooo," he groaned, realizing he was no longer dreaming. The night before, he had barely slept and the pattern of premature awakenings was beginning to weigh on him. The tapping persisted as he lifted himself up and dragged his feet towards the door. Opening it an inch, Nick squinted down at the fully-awake Bunny waiting impatiently in the too bright hallway. He left the door open and walked back towards his bed waiting for whatever The Fluff, so urgently, had to tell him.

Judy flicked on the light switch just as Nick sat on the end of his bed. "What took you so long? I heard you moving around in here before you opened the door." Nick glanced at his lamp and shrugged, glad that Judy hadn't witnessed his actions from earlier. On his nightstand, he saw that it was almost 5 am. That was Judy, always bright eyed and bushy tailed whenever something drew in her inquisitive side. If it had been any other person, Nick would've shooed them away but part of him was simply happy to see her, even with the ill-favored time of day. "I couldn't sleep, Nick. What kind of mammal would I be to rest while something this unethical was happening?"

He entertained her rhetorical question. "I don't know, a bad one?"

Judy paused then shook her head, ignoring him. "Why should we wait, anyway? Hospitals are open 24 hours. Maybe we could just go now!"

"What? Are you on something?" He knew she wasn't, but her eagerness felt a bit too overpowering for four-something in the morning. "Wait, we're going to the hospital?"

"Of course! Where else to start than where it all began?"

He cocked his head to the side, unsure of her reasoning. "Do you even have a plan?"

Judy's left eye twitched and she threw her arms up, exasperated. "Of course I have a plan. What do you think I've been doing since yesterday?" She reached into her back pocket and pulled out some folded papers, spreading them out on the bed. They were pictures Nick had already seen on TV and online of the crowds following the family to their car, the commotion inside ot the hospital lobby, and the unidentified mammal who snuck into the interspecies family's hospital room and got pictures of them. "Okay. I've been digging up pictures taken from the day Sammy was born at the hospital. All the paparazzi, news outlets, and even photos people took with their phones. Remember that popular photo that was taken in the hospital room?" Her eyes appeared to glow with excitement and Nick felt some of the bright energy spread to him.

"Yeah. The guy that snuck into the hospital to get the pictures. Didn't he get arrested?"

"It was a she, and no, the charges were dropped. But I think I found a picture of her. She was the only paparazzi walking out of the hospital. Everyone else was blocked off." Judy emphasized the word "out" like it was a colossal revelation. Nick lifted the photo to look closer at the photographer. She held a camera and something bright red peeking through her fingers.

"What do you think this is?" Nick asked, pointing at the small flash of bright red.

Judy snatched the photo and stared."I'm not sure." Her burst of excitement died momentarily and she placed the picture back on the bed.

"But!" She exclaimed, lifting another picture of the crowds for Nick to see. "These two nurses, here and here, are seen in a ton of the photos unlike the other nurses and their nametags are just sitting there calling for us to find them! I already researched it. Their names are Owen Grant and Melody Mathews."

"Well, looks like you've been busy."

"Yep! And Owen's social media posts show that he and Melody had a shift around this block of time for five months. He complains a lot about the work times and posts pictures of his breakfast super early in the morning."

He had to admit, her findings were impressive but he wondered why she had gone through so much trouble. "Wouldn't it have just been easier to ask for that information, seeing that you're an officer and all?" He posed the question with his usual smug demeanor.

"Nick I'm sure a group with that much power would notice if officers came in to investigate the arrest. I was going to call at first but who's to say they wouldn't be listening in?"

"Wow Carrots, you're a full fledged conspiracy theorist now. Are we gonna need tinfoil hats too?"

Judy climbed up on the bed, and stuck her pointed finger in Nick's face. "Call it whatever you want, but caution is a priority. We have to be smart about this. That's why we're going to use your ankle as an excuse. Then we'll ask the questions once we know it's safe." She stopped pointing and began to gather the pictures of the crowds. It wasn't the first time Judy had been on the bed, since they regularly watched movies on Nick's laptop, but since there wasn't an excuse for it, Nick suddenly felt very aware of her. Judy scooched back to lean on the wall, sighing. "Why does it feel like you're interrogating me?" He shrugged, deciding to lean on the wall as well.

"Because you barely slept last night and I don't think you've even lied down today. I'm not sure if your head is in the right place" Nick retorted, patting her head between her ears. Judy swatted at his paw. She moved to rest her head on his shoulder.

"This case is what's keeping me wide awake."

"You still need rest."

"Nick, I can take care of myself."

"Good to hear! I'll wake you up in a few hours." Judy began to protest but her yawn cut her words off. "Aha! I knew it!"

"Yawning just means you're breathing too shallowly. It's not proof of tiredness." She said through her yawn. Nick raised a brow so she knew he wasn't buying it."Fine I'll sleep for an hour then we go to the hospital."

"Come on. At least five," he bargained.

"Okay, I'll do two hours."

"Four."

"Two and a half"

"Two and a half plus a half"

"Why didn't you just say three?"

"I was trying to confuse you."

She studied him, then laughed. "Alright, three." She glanced around. "So where should I sleep?"

Nick felt his throat close up. "Sleep?" he squeaked out. He cleared his throat and tried again. "You mean here?" He looked down, acutely aware of their closeness.

Judy's grin softened. "Well it would be easier, right?" Nick hesitated causing Judy's brows to pull together in doubt. She shifted away. "I guess I don't live too far away. We could always meet at the-"

"It's fine." Nick forced his nervous energy down and tried to look interested in the hallway light shining from under his door. It took a prolonged silence for Nick to realize Judy was probably expecting an answer.

Nick looked at his couch, then down at his bed. "Well you can stay here and I'll move over to the couch." He looked back towards Judy and was surprised to see her eyes closed. "Carrots?" Her nose twitched but she was otherwise unresponsive.

Nick let Judy sleep for longer than their agreed upon time, which Judy freaked out about. Apparently her nurses were about to end their shifts and she rushed him out of the apartment building. On the metro, Nick looked her up and down. It hadn't been more than a year since the big nighthowler case was closed but every other week someone would ask for a selfie or her autograph.

"What if someone recognizes you?"

"They won't," she said, shaking her head. "Mammals only recognize me if I'm in uniform, remember? Also they don't want to be one of those mammals who says all bunnies look the same."

"Well you've just mapped everything out, haven't you?"

Judy smiled up at him. "Not quite, but I'm getting there."

"You always wear these clothes" He reached out and rubbed the fabric of her sleeve between his fingers.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" She looked down at her leggings and loose-fitting grey shirt.

"Nothing's wrong with them. Just that it always looks like you're ready to teach a cardio class."

"And what about you? Every time I think you've worn the worst button up and tie combination, you manage to top yourself." He nodded at her remark, noting her creativity. It wasn't bad. A little wordy, but not bad.

"Well how else am I supposed to dazzle you if I can't stand out a little?" He winked down at her and watched for her cheeks to change colors.

Judy stopped walking and crossed her arms. "Nope! I know what you're doing. You just want some reaction out of me and I'm not giving you one."

He lifted a brow. "Please. If I want a reaction out of you I'll get one."

"Not anymore, Wilde." The train arrived at their stop and she proudly walked forward.

"You sure about that?" He said as they exited the train.

"Would you please focus on the real issue? You need to be limping. They could be watching us on the street cameras or be anywhere." Nick tried to hold it in but his laughter bubbled out, loud enough to turn some heads.

Judy spun on him, obviously done with his antics. "What is it now?" Nick stopped too, crossing his arms.

"I think you may be overestimating our importance, Carrots. We're not even on their radar."

"Okay, fine" She took a breath and continued. "You may be right, but we don't want to give them a reason to notice us. If we went to the hospital for no reason and they saw us on cameras then they would begin to watch us. But if you have an injury then we have an excuse and we don't stand out." The desperate look in her eyes were what made him agree to go along with her plan the best he could. He walked forward attempting a believable limp and fought the urge to be overly dramatic.

"And you can't say you tripped on stairs. That's no reason to come to the emergency room," Judy said.

"So what do I say then?"

"Just think of something. And make sure you play up the limping."

"Your papers say that an elevator door slammed onto your ankle? How does that happen?" After they'd been greeted by hospital staff, they requested the aid of Melody Mathews, the nurse from the pictures Judy found. The old nurse, Melody, gently held Nick's foot. "It doesn't look to be swollen or show any signs of-"

"Aghh!" He pulled his foot away and contorted his face to make the injury seem more believable. He watched Judy scan the area, probably for the secret agents she was so sure were watching her.

"What? I was barely touching it." The nurse cocked her head sideways and reached to examine further.

"Ah, no it's just that," Nick hesitated long enough for suspicion to creep into the nurse's eyes. Judy silently freaked out behind her, wildly motioning for Nick to say something. He read her name tag. _**Melody Mathews**_. "Mel, can I call you Mel? I'm just gonna cut to the chase. I need your help." Judy's head fell into her paws in frustration.

Melody gave a soft, reassuring smile. "I know you need my help, son. You can barely walk"

Nick held his ankle tightly for added effect. "Right, but I need your help with another issue. We know you treated our friends, Aurora and Damien, and we need information to defend them." From years of conning, Nick figured the best way to lie was to share as much truth as possible. Technically, he did know Aurora and Damien, and they had been well acquainted days earlier. He pouted down toward his foot so the nurse wouldn't see any signs of nervousness. Judy made a sound, staring daggers into Nick, apparently not liking the direction Nick was taking this.

The nurse turned around and touched Judy's shoulder. She must have taken her annoyance for distress. "You alright, Sweetie? Did you need to be treated too?"

Judy lifted her head, realising she was being addressed. "No, actually I'm with him." A flash of confusion came across the nurse's face. Nick wondered why that wasn't obvious since they had walked in together but looking around, he saw pairs and groups of mostly the same species and realized how out of place they appeared together. He couldn't blame the nurse for the misunderstanding.

Her soft eyes widened in surprise. "Hold on now, are you two- Oh wow. That's pretty neat. I'm on those TeamLove hashtags you kids are doing these days. Don't they have those little shirts that say that rhymy 'Why judge if it's love?' on the front? Do y'all have them too? I saw pictures of all those hybrid couples wearing them on the web. They are too cute. Wait, is that how he hurt himself? At the protest? No, you said an elevator hit-"

Judy interrupted Melody's rush of questions, letting some of her impatience slide through. "Ma'am? We're not together. We're just defending them, like Nick said." Nick noted the light pink cheeks under her fur and he held back a smile.

"Oh! It's gonna be a court case? Will it be on TV? I knew they were innocent with all that nonsense they were spoutin' on the news- Wait a second." She narrowed her eyes. "Aren't y'all those cops that said that family was terrorists on the news?"

Nick heard Judy whisper some very colorful words under her breath. "What?" He went for a perplexed expression. "Are you one of those mammals who thinks every other species looks the same?"

The nurse put her paws up in defense. "Oh no, no! I just thought those officers looked- I just- I'm sorry. I've had a hectic morning and I guess I saw ya'll near each other and got it mixed up. My break starts soon. I can talk to ya then. Oh! Here I go blabbering on again when your boyfriend here is sufferin'. I'll go turn in these papers."

Judy said "He's not my-" at the same time Nick said "Thank you," and they both stared at each other with opposing expressions as the old nurse walked away. When she was out of earshot, Judy spun around. "What were you thinking? You were supposed to play the patient while I questioned her! That could have blown up in our faces!"

"Carrots, if I ever need to lie it always works when it's a simple embellishment of the truth."

Melody was able to tell them about the day the interspecies baby, Sammy, was born. On that day, there was a listed family member who was the only mammal allowed into the hospital room besides the staff. After some prodding from Judy, Melody was able to remember that the family member was a Doe who wore a bright red baseball cap with the logo of a flashing camera on it. Before Melody even finished Judy was rushing out of the building, shouting words of gratitude over her shoulder.

Nick stood awkwardly, watching Judy run through the doors. "Uh, sorry. She didn't take her medication today. Have a good one." He motioned a small salute to the nurse and jogged to catch up with the Fluff, completely forgetting that he was supposed to limp.


	9. Chapter 8

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Nick asked as they walked inside of what appeared to be an office building. Judy didn't answer him and Zoogled something on her phone. It had taken a twenty minute ride, with a stop in between, to get to the building. Judy researched information in her phone for the entire trip, only answering Nick's questions with brief replies. From what she said, he was able to gather that the red hat with a flashing camera logo was from a paparazzi company in downtown Zootopia, and that the Doe who snuck in to take pictures worked at this office building. What Judy wasn't able to tell him was why the family, who didn't want pictures taken, happened to have a relative who was paparazzi. The images in the hospital room of the family were obviously taken without their permission. The family appeared angered in the photos and there was even one of Damien grabbing the camera. Even with the family's blatant non-consent, the images had been plastered over every news media source for weeks. Nick had had some pretty bad familial conflicts in his life, but he couldn't imagine any of his relatives selling him out like that.

"Aha! Floor eighteen." Judy said, bringing him out of his thoughts. Judy moved to push the elevator button and they walked in. Once the elevator doors closed, Nick peeked down at Judy. Her ears stood tall and alert and her eyes were fixed on the illuminated numbers counting up the floors. He felt a strange need for her to acknowledge him in some way. To talk to him, or touch him, or react to him. Nick quickly thought of ways he could get her to focus on him. Shit, he was turning into one of his exes who wanted constant attention but he'd come too far to backtrack now.

"Hey, Carrots." Judy glanced over with a raised brow. "Did you know our coworkers have a betting pool for if we'll end up together?" His smirk grew wide as the skin under her fur burned red. The reaction was enough to hold him over for a few hours.

Judy's eyes narrowed when she saw Nick's satisfaction. "I guess a lot of mammals will lose money then." He wasn't sure which side of the betting pool she had been referring to since her mouth now held a devious smile.

"Especially if word got out that we slept together," Nick countered, referencing the five hour nap at his apartment.

"Oh so that's why you were walking funny afterward." She spoke the words as if it were a big discovery. It wasn't the surprising response, but that the suggestive comment came from the Judy's mouth that made Nick bend over laughing. It made Judy chuckle too. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. The floor was an open space with nothing particularly interesting about it. It had white walls and a grey carpet with desks and computers. Plants were placed in random places and, on the wall, Nick noticed the painted, red logo of a flashing camera. As they stepped out, Judy whispered for Nick to stop laughing. He tried to quiet down but was only able to suppress it down to small giggles.

They went to the secretary desk and asked for the photographer who'd snuck into the interspecies family's hospital room. Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw a tall, lanky Doe rushing toward the elevator. Nick didn't wait for Judy and jogged over to the Doe who was obviously trying to be inconspicuous. The words, "POLICE! Stay right there!" almost came out before Nick remembered Judy's warnings from earlier in the day. Nick expected for her to speed towards the stairwell or an emergency exit but she stood frozen. The smell of her fear was impossible to mistake and Nick tried for an easygoing demeanor so not to worry the Doe. "My friend and I have been looking for you." She looked ready to flee again so he quickly added, "Don't worry. You're not in trouble or anything."

Finally, the Doe found her voice. "Ar-are you FBI?" Nick weighed the possible responses he could give. Saying no could make her feel comfortable but it could also make her not feel obligated to answer his questions. Saying yes would make the lie hard to prove.

"No we aren't FBI. Why, have they contacted you recently?" Judy's curious voice sounded behind him before he could respond to the Doe's question.

The Doe looked back and forth between the two, pushing up her glasses. "I'm sorry. Who are you?"

"Oh um, this is Ned Withers and I'm Jenny Hall." Judy put a paw out for her to shake. The Doe didn't move so Judy brought the paw back to her side. "We're friend's of the interspecies parents Damien and Aurora." Judy explained enough of their situation to garner sympathy without mentioning their true identities. Nick nodded, going along with what she said and tried not to be peeved by the bland name she assigned to him. "And what's your name?" Judy asked.

"It's Natalie." The Doe leaned in lowering her voice. "I was so sorry that happened to them. I was, like, thinking about going to join the protests but the whole situation still feels too.. fresh, you know?"

Judy nodded, seeming relieved. "I completely understand."

Nick was ready to get this over with, finding the Deer's nasally voice a bit annoying. "Is there anywhere we could all go where there are," he looked around, seeing curious eyes pointed directly at them. "Less spectators?"

They sat on couches, sized for slightly larger mammals, in a vacant waiting area on the top level of the building. Natalie assured them that there would be no mammals moving around on that floor because the last company on that floor went bankrupt and was no longer operating. There was a television mounted on the wall above them playing silenced news coverage of protests in the city. Some shots showed yelling and some fighting with the news banner at the bottom of the screen reading: "Conflicts Rise Between Protesters and Supporters of Arrests." Once they were settled, Natalie explained that the family had hired the paparazzi company and requested that she come to take photos of them in their hospital room.

"So the video where you all followed them to their car was all staged?" asked Judy.

"Well," Natalie smiled, seeming eager to share her gossip. "Like, at first it was because we thought it was just some C-List celebrity's attempt at more fame. That's what we're usually hired for. So like, the anonymous message was just to take pictures when the Deer and the Coyote came out. Then my boss told me to go up to room 207 and that I was listed as the mother's sister. In my head I was all, 'these pathetic people think they can get famous for being in the hospital?' So, I mean, when I saw the pup in the delivery room I didn't catch on immediately since all newborns basically look the same. But then a nurse came up and started asking me all these questions like 'Did you know your sister was having a kid with a Coyote?' and 'I've only heard rumours about interspecies babies.' That's when I realized this was more than just some publicity stunt. So like, once I got a few shots in, I ran down to tell my coworkers we would make tens of thousands off of these pictures."

"Tens of thousands for a few pictures? Do you guys do part time 'cause I wouldn't mind-"

"Nick!" Judy interrupted his tangent.

The Deer giggled. "Yeah we didn't get to make as much because someone _had_ to go and call their other paparazzi friend, who called theirs, and so on until there were about fifty of us waiting outside the hospital. Then all these random mammals came up with their phones out expecting to see, like, Gisele or something. Most didn't even know what they were waiting for."

"So you're not actually a relative?" Judy asked.

Natalie shook her head. "Nope! I think the parents looked up the company and saw that I was a Deer. So, when my boss told me what they wanted I was like, 'okay sure?' and I just went with it."

"So when you were up there did the family say anything to you that explained why they hired you?'' Judy had her arms crossed and seemed to be calculating ideas in her head.

"Not really," Natalie replied. "But there was one strange thing. They told me to wait so that they could pose themselves. They wanted it to look like I snuck in and got shots of them without their consent. Like, the dad pretended like he was trying to take my camera. So he held the camera and put it in a position so that it would also have a clear shot of the mom and the pup while still looking like they didn't want the pictures taken. It's was, like, a really weird experience, but most people trying to get fame did it that way too, so I didn't question it."

Nick remembered the words Aurora had said about wishing everyone would mind their business. It didn't add up and he wondered which side of the story was the truth.

"Aurora told us she didn't like the media coverage of her family. I guess that was a lie," Judy said.

"Hey I don't know the answers to those questions but I do know that people can make millions off of a popular reality TV show." Natalie shrugged.

Judy's ears fell to her shoulders. "What else did they lie about? Was this all so that they could be famous?"

"That can't be it," Nick decided, leaning back on the couch. "That's too much trouble to go through for fame. And neither of them seemed very happy to be recorded every time they went outside."

"Well if it isn't that, I'm sure it has something to do with this government organization. Maybe they found the parents before the pup was born from medical records?" Judy questioned.

Nick shook his head. "Nah. You're assuming they went to the doctors in the first place. If you were a doctor and figured out this huge phenomenon wouldn't you tell someone? The organization found out when everyone else did."

"Well, I mean, I've had some time to think on it." Natalie grinned when he and Judy looked back at her and Nick noted that the Doe seemed to like attention. "I asked myself 'If all these hybrid couples on hashtag TeamLove have been around, wouldn't some of them have probably gotten into the same situation? And, like, wouldn't we have heard about it or seen their children?"

"I don't-" Judy's words were cut off by the blaring ringing of a cell phone.

All three checked their phones to see who's was ringing. "Hello?" Natalie spoke into her phone her eyes lit up in some realization. "Hey, Dude! I'm going to put you on the speaker setting, okay?" She didn't wait for a response and tapped at her screen.

"Why are you putting me on speaker? " Said an snippy male's voice from the phone.

She leaned over to Nick and Judy, speaking in a whispered tone. "It's my boss. I made the company a ton of money with the hospital room pictures so I'm like untouchable royalty here. Mr. Per basically lets me do what I want now since there's a chance the parents will still contact me again." She paused. "But they _are_ being held by the government. Hmm, I should probably stop calling him Dude."

"Ms. Baker!' Called her boss.

"Oh, Sorry! I have friends of the interspecies family here. We just wanted to know it they said anything to you about why the family wanted the pictures."

The male voice perked up so much, Nick wasn't sure if it was the same mammal speaking. "Friends of the family? Are they here to give us the inside scoop on what really happened?"

"No, Mr. Perrings. They wanted 'the scoop' from you actually." Natalie quipped.

"What? Why would I know why they were arrested? Is this another one of your pranks?"

"Mr. Perrings? They want to know why the family wanted our company to take the pictures." Nick held his breath, trying not to hope too hard for a lead, but failing.

"The pictures? They didn't say anything to me but I have my own theory." The three simultaneously leaned in. "Maybe they just wanted people to know about their kid and that was it. Like, assuming that this could've happened before, all the other parents probably just kept it a secret. Maybe this family was just telling the world, 'We exist' and our company was the best way for them to do that."

"Omigahd, Per! That was, like, so deep," the Deer breathed out. She smiled triumphantly at Nick and Judy as if she had given them some huge clue.

"Nat- Ms. Baker. I'm calling because you're late for our meeting on your work ethic over the past few weeks. If I didn't know better I'd say you were avoiding me." The last few words were spoken with a hint of strain in the male's voice. Instantly, Nick felt uncomfortable, like he was listening in on a private conversation.

"No! I just went on a lunch break, don't worry." Natalie mouthed a _sorry_ _ **,**_ stood up, and sped past them waving goodbye. Wilde and Hopps sat silently with more questions than answers.


	10. Chapter 9

"Why'd they make it look like they didn't want the pictures when they really did?" Judy stood up and began pacing, as she usually did when she wanted to figure something out. Nick couldn't think of any reason that hadn't already been mentioned.

She pulled her carrot pen out of her pocket and paused, her determined gaze becoming uncertain. Groaning, Judy dragged her feet to the couch and sat with Nick, resting her face in her paws.

"You forgot to record it, didn't you." Nick tried not to smile but her reaction had been pretty comical. Judy nodded into her paws and groaned again.

"Awh, poor Bunny." In a swift movement, he pulled Judy to his side so that she could lean on him. She still kept her face covered by turning into his shirt and Nick relaxed, knowing that the risky action had worked out.

"This would be a good time for you to swoop in and save the day with some trick up your sleeve," she murmured into his shirt.

"Actually, it's in my pocket, but good guess." Nick pulled out his own recording device which held evidence and clues that they could use later on.

Judy sat up and one of her ears hit Nick in the face in the excitement. "Wait, really?" Nick held his cheek and cautiously handed her the recorder. Judy continued excitedly, "I'm sure I can find some sort of lead in what she said. There have to be clues we may have missed."

She looked at the recorder with enough hope to make Nick wonder if there really was a clue they'd missed. He leaned back on the couch, lifting a corner of his mouth. "You're welcome."

"Oh!" Judy stood on the couch cushion to reach his sitting height and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. "Thanks, Nick," she whispered. He expected her to move away, but after a few moments, realized he'd been hugging her back. He must have moved his arms instinctually and the act was so strange that he considered letting go. Nick wasn't the affectionate type but somehow her comforting warmth, and the way her breaths tickled the fur at his neck, made Nick pull her close against him. In a second, everything faded into the background, piece by piece. The ZPD, the arrests, the possibility of failure. The label of the shifty predator abandoned Nick, leaving only himself, and opening up something he'd kept guarded for most of his life. How could the world be as unforgiving as he'd thought if she existed in it?

She let go to sit down on his lap and it took Nick a second to realize he'd moved her there during the hug. Judy's movement separated them slightly and Nick feared that she let go because she didn't like the closeness. His body protested at even the thought of moving his arms back, so he kept still, trying not to think too much. Judy smiled down sheepishly. "And thanks for helping me with everything else. It means a lot"

Her violet eyes lifted to his, making Nick's heart pound fiercely within his chest. It felt like a magnetic force tugging them closer until he felt her warm breaths mixing with his own. He thought he should say something but her eyes put him in a trance as she touched Nick's shoulder, pulling him forward. It was a slow, delicate kiss and the shock of it kept Nick frozen in place, for only a moment, before holding her tighter. In that moment, Nick allowed himself to imagine a future with Judy as more than a friend. An idea he'd shut out the entire time he'd known her and especially when thinking about the interspecies family. He let himself hope again, knowing that hope led him to pain every time he'd felt it. Would this hurt him? Would it hurt Judy? It had only been a few seconds, but Nick could smell his own fear rising and automatically, he separated himself, breaking the kiss.

"I'm not doing this to you," he decided.

Judy's cheeks glowed red under her fur. "Doing what?" Her words were slightly sluggish and etched with confusion.

Nick didn't know how to explain that he knew anything more between them would just make the inevitable pain worse. She still believed the world was a good place. "Do you want to be with me?" The words came out more like an accusation and when Nick saw her bewilderment he repeated the question in a nicer tone.

"Yeah. I think I do." She stared at his chest and spoke in a small voice. "It feels right." Nick knew exactly what she meant. It was that feeling of rightness that made him ache to pull her into him and take back everything he was saying.

He shook his head, stubbornly. "I'm not going to let you have that life." He pointed at the television showing the news coverage of protesters.

"Nick, you know that most people are accepting. You're just scared. It's okay. I'm scared too but it's worth it." He thought of all the issues the hybrid family had to experience and, even if there was support, there was also backlash. If he was with Judy he would be joyous and elated, but if he ever saw her hurt by bigots then he would lose it. Just the thought of it had his claws digging into his fur. Nothing was worth knowing that he was the cause of her inevitable pain.

"We should just stay with our own species," he said.

Judy's mouth dropped open. "So you would be fine if I just went off with some Bunny?" Nick was hit with a whirlwind of confusion. He would hate it. He avoided her gaze and stared at the news coverage.

"I'd tolerate it," he grunted. Judy got off of the couch, fists at either side of her.

"And you want me to just 'tolerate' some Vixen cozying up with you?! Nick do you hear yourself?" Judy turned her back to him once he saw her eyes tearing up. Nick wasn't sure what was right or wrong anymore. One side of him wanted to protect her the way he protected himself and the other wanted to hope and risk.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt," he said, defeated.

"Too late." She began to walk away, wiping at her face.

The burning pain that came from causing her tears made him consider giving in to what she wanted. He imagined it all working out: house, marriage, kits, everything. Maybe all the suffering in his life led up to this as the universe's way of balancing it all out. Then the image of the protesters yelling 'Mutated Mutt' at the hybrid family's home came, and he imagined the protesters were at his home, with his kits, and his Judy. Nick had seen terrible hate crimes against predators and couldn't picture how bad it could get if he were with her. The idea of Judy having to watch her family suffer when she still believed the world was good reminded him of his childhood. Nick didn't want her to feel the betrayal he'd felt long ago when he found that some mammals hated him for something he couldn't control. This, however, was something he could control, and that fact was enough to convince him.

He got up and raced down the hallway until he was twenty feet from her. "Judy!" She stopped but didn't turn. "These arrests were a message. It's a rule they're giving us all. You know what they did to the police department that defied them. You know what they did to the family. Are you really willing to risk your job and everything you've worked for for this?" Nick wasn't sure if he was talking about them, or trying to solve the mystery, or both. It was all a mess and he tried to anchor himself by thinking about at the protests. Judy didn't respond and went down the stairway, leaving Nick on the empty level.

He shouldn't have kissed her or held her for so long. "Shit!" He punched the wall to his left, his fist connecting hard against the plaster. He shouldn't have flirted or teased her so much. He punched the wall a second time and once he felt the deserved, throbbing pain in his paw he jabbed the elevator button to leave. He'd been careless in playing with her heart. He'd let it go too far and it ended up hurting one of the only mammals who was always there for him.

Nick had gone back to his apartment, but the smell of Judy's scent of the sheets was too much, so he went to a bar. It was a dark and smoky scene with mainly Foxes drinking and socializing. Nick drank enough to feel a buzz but it didn't do much to take away the guilt he'd been feeling. The bar was moderately crowded and every time someone got up, a new Fox replaced them. Nick blocked everything out, trying to make his mind blank and his feelings numb. When he'd gotten to his apartment he thought about listening to the recording he made, but Judy had taken it without him knowing. At first he smiled pridefully about his sly Bunny but then he remembered everything else and fell back into his regretful mood.

Someone was leaning towards Nick on the stool beside him and he shifted away, assuming they were drunk and struggling to sit up. The drunk tapped him on the shoulder and Nick turned to tell them to knock it off. It was a Vixen wearing way too much makeup and dressed tight clothes that didn't leave much to the imagination. "Hi, I'm Tammy" she said loudly so that Nick could hear her over the music. Nick gave her a nod of acknowledgement and then tried to flag the bartender down. "Are you here often? This is my first time coming here. My friends made me wear this and they did my makeup and I feel completely ridiculous."

"I can see why you'd feel that way." Nick tapped his glass on the counter a few times, but the bartender didn't turn around. He made an impatient sound and then glanced at the Vixen again. She'd been talking without him realizing.

"...and they dragged me here as if I could get over him in one night. But I'm talking to you because they said if I got your number that we could leave and so-"

"I'm sorry. Do I resemble your therapist or something?" Nick really wasn't in the mood for to have a random mammal chattering in his ear. The Vixen laughed loudly as if he'd said something hilarious. In his peripheral Nick could see her glance back at a group of Foxes giving her thumbs up, though they pretended they weren't watching when Nick twisted to look.

"Oh! I love this song!" She clapped and grinned in a way that contrasted the all-black clothes, bad girl, look her friends had gone for.

"Yeah, good for you." It was one of those slow piano songs with some guy whining about losing the flower of his life or something pretentious of that nature. Finally the bartender came over to take Nick's order. The Vixen kept talking but Nick didn't make an effort to listen until he heard her say the song was about the artist's daughter who died. It was enough to garner some interest so Nick listened to the lyrics for a moment.

" _She said_

 _good things come in threes,_

 _And_

 _Good things come and go,_

 _But_

 _Should things stay at ease_

 _When_

 _Good things fail to show?_

 _She flew me to a garden_

 _Where sun and rays burned bright_

 _And on the ground, yet to be found_

 _A Daisy came to life_

 _Now moonlight takes the sun_

 _When darkness takes the day_

 _And so at night, without the light_

 _A Daisy wilts away"_

The song continued, but Nick needed more info to rule out coincidence. "Who sings this?" Nick asked.

"The artist? Just this indie Elk guy who plays at the Tavern downtown sometimes. His other songs aren't really as good as this one but I-"

"What's his name?" Nick was already gathering his things to leave when she gave the name.

"Ramses Warren."

"Thanks, Tiffany." Nick left some money for the bartender and pushed past mammals to leave.

"You're welcome and it's Tammy! Wait can I get your number?" Nick continued walking and exited the bar. He opened his phone to text Judy after waving down a cab.

N: I'm coming over

J: Dont unless you have a lead

N: I think I might

J: ...fine


End file.
